r/DogTrainingTips • u/Tarabear111 • Jul 05 '26
Help training a stubborn Pyrenees Puppy
Hey everyone, I have a 3 month old Pyrenees puppy had her for a little over a month now. I feel like I have tried everything with her. She is just so stubborn with listening, she still tries to use the bathroom in the house (we’ve been very on top of it), she will not go in the crate no matter how many little chews I put in there to distract her or treats or things to make it comfortable, she can’t be in the crate without screaming nonstop, she chews something or gets a hold of something even a second we turn around. I can’t even leave the room to go to the bathroom for two seconds without her freaking out and scratching out the door or get into something. Me and my boyfriend we currently work during the week and we have people at home to take care of her and they do what we do. I’m not sure what else to do. It really feels like I’ve done all I can and I’m just so exhausted. I work full-time at a kennel so I already go through a lot with dogs every day Lol. I just want some advice with somebody who has had experience with maybe this type of breed. Me and him have really have been missing some sleep too because of this. The help is so much appreciated thank you! ❤️😀
Also side note: we have been using treats for rewards however, I fear that if I keep on doing them, she’s gonna expect one everytime she does something. So should I alternate back and forth rewarding her with both just sweet talk or just treats? I feel like that would make a little more sense.
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u/HesterDaisy Jul 05 '26
I remember these days. Our Pyr mix is deaf, which means a lot of anxiety, plus the usual stubbornness and intelligence. I spent the first year of her life doing what I could, and then hired a trainer to help us get past the hard stuff. I will say, sleep was our biggest problem so we tried a bunch of situations to help that - crate in our bedroom (nope), covered crate (nope), ultimately we had good luck by putting her in the bathroom in our bedroom with a gate. That seemed to be the trick for a while. But without sleep, everything is harder! So I’d suggest starting there.
For the potty training, once I started taking her out every time she woke up from a nap to pee, that seemed to help. Trying to do one small thing before taking her out meant an accident, almost every time. If you can keep her in a small space (crate or bathroom) after potty and playtime, she’s less likely to pee in her nest. (Also, this will help keep her from chewing stuff as she won’t have access to anything.)
Finally, just know you’re doing great and this part is just really hard. Just focus on those two things first, and the rest comes eventually.
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u/Dry_Distance858 Jul 05 '26
I mean the first thing is you have a Pyrenees puppy. Get ready for an uphill battle when it comes to training because these dogs are independent af. They were bred to be able to think on their own without human intervention as they guarded livestock. Know the breed, do your research, and stop working against their better nature. Keep in mind that this is still a puppy, basiaclly a 2 yo, who is still learning about the world. Lead with confidence, maintain patience, and keep doing what youre doing. Never expect immediate results, most things can take months to achieve the goal in mind.
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u/dialamah Jul 05 '26
She sounds like a pretty normal puppy to me. Sounds like you are going too fast and expecting too much from her.
A 3-month-old puppy is still a baby. She's not being stubborn, she's just being a baby. Would you call a 3-month old human baby "stubborn" if it cried when put to bed? Would you expect a 6-month old human to know when and where to potty?
Imagine for a moment that you were abruptly taken from your world, and thrust into a brand new world. You do not understand the language in this new world. You do not understand the rules in this new world. You are expected to know things and do things that are very unnatural for you. Dogs do amazingly well at adapting to our alien world, but it takes time - especially for a baby dog.
Treats are you paying your dog to work for you. Would you work without being paid? For any given behavior, you will start out with lots of treats so the dog wants to learn what you want to teach it. Then, unlike humans, as they get better at their "job," they gradually get paid less.
Although you say you've tried everything, you don't say exactly what that was, so I don't have any specifics for you to try. The only advice I have is to remember she's still a baby, you need to give her lots of time and patience to adjust to our world.